II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5122 

To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical 

Park, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. 

BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools 

National Historical Park, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Julius Rosenwald and 

5 Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to establish a unit of the National Park 

9 System— 


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1 (A) to commemorate the life and legacy of 

2 Julius Rosenwald, who— 

3 (i) was the son of German-Jewish im4 migrants; 

5 (ii) helped make Sears, Roebuck and 

6 Co. the leading retailer in the United 

7 States for many years; 

8 (iii) used his enormous fortune to be9 come a visionary philanthropist; and 

10 (iv) partnered with Booker T. Wash11 ington and approximately 5,000 African12 American communities in the segregated 

13 South to build schools for children who 

14 had few or no educational opportunities; 

15 (B) to recognize the impact of the Rosen16 wald Schools, which— 

17 (i) were constructed between 1912 

18 and 1932 in 15 States; and 

19 (ii) educated more than 600,000 Afri20 can-American children, including a number 

21 of graduates who became leaders in the 

22 civil rights movement, such as— 

23 (I) Representative John Lewis; 

24 (II) Maya Angelou; 

25 (III) Medgar Evers; 


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1 (IV) Nina Simone; and 

2 (V) Carlotta Walls LaNier; 

3 (C) to honor other important parts of the 

4 legacy of Julius Rosenwald, including— 

5 (i) the Julius Rosenwald Fund, 

6 which— 

7 (I) between 1928 and 1948, 

8 awarded fellowships to nearly 900 tal9 ented men and women— 

(aa) 2 10 ⁄3 of whom were Afri11 can Americans; and 

12 (bb) including— 

13 (AA) Marian Anderson; 

14 (BB) Langston 

15 Hughes; 

16 (CC) Ralph Bunche; 

17 (DD) James Baldwin; 

18 (EE) Dr. Charles 

19 Drew; 

20 (FF) Ralph Ellison; 

21 and 

22 (GG) Woody Guthrie; 

23 and 

24 (II) supported early legal cases of 

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1 vancement of Colored People that led 

2 to the Supreme Court opinion in 

3 Brown v. Board of Education of To4 peka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954); 

5 (ii) founding the Jewish Federation of 

6 Metropolitan Chicago; 

7 (iii) service as a member of the board 

8 of Jane Addams’ Hull House for 20 years; 

9 (iv) being a founding donor of the 

10 Chicago Museum of Science and Industry; 

11 and 

12 (v) otherwise embodying social justice; 

13 (2) to preserve a small number of representa14 tive sites of the Rosenwald Schools, including the 

15 San Domingo School in Sharptown, Maryland, and 

16 to establish a headquarters and visitor center for the 

17 Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National 

18 Historical Park within or near the former Sears 

19 Merchandising Complex in North Lawndale in the 

20 city of Chicago, Illinois, to enlighten visitors on— 

21 (A) the overall life and legacy of Julius 

22 Rosenwald; and 

23 (B) the ways in which the Rosenwald 

24 Schools— 


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1 (i) affected African-American edu2 cation in the South; and 

3 (ii) helped to make the United States 

4 a more democratic society; and 

5 (3) to establish a network in the National Park 

6 Service to connect the remaining Rosenwald Schools 

7 to disseminate more fully the story of the Rosenwald 

8 Schools throughout the United States. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map 

12 prepared under section 4(b)(2)(A). 

13 (2) NETWORK.—The term ‘‘Network’’ means 

14 the Rosenwald Schools National Network established 

15 under section 5(a)(1). 

16 (3) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Julius 

17 Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Histor18 ical Park established by section 4(a)(1). 

19 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of the Interior. 

21 SEC. 4. JULIUS ROSENWALD AND ROSENWALD SCHOOLS 

22 NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

25 there is established as a unit of the National Park 


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1 System the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald 

2 Schools National Historical Park. 

3 (2) DETERMINATION BY THE SECRETARY.— 

4 (A) DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT.—The Park 

5 shall not be established until the date on which 

6 the Secretary determines that a sufficient quan7 tity of land or interests in land within the 

8 boundary of the Park has been acquired to con9 stitute a manageable unit. 

10 (B) FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE.—The 

11 Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register 

12 notice of a determination under subparagraph 

13 (A). 

14 (b) BOUNDARY.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Park shall consist of 

16 the following: 

17 (A) The 40-acre site selected for the Sears 

18 merchandising complex constructed in 1905– 

19 1906, which includes the original Sears Admin20 istration Building, the catalog building, the 

21 power plant, and the Nichols Tower, which now 

22 comprise the Sears Roebuck and Company 

23 Complex National Historic Landmark, and the 

24 Sears Sunken Garden directly across the street 

25 from the Sears Administration Building. 


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1 (B) The San Domingo Rosenwald School 

2 in Sharptown, Maryland, as generally depicted 

3 on the Map. 

4 (C) Any Rosenwald School or other area 

5 designated by Congress to be included in the 

6 Park after the date of enactment of this Act. 

7 (2) MAP.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec10 retary shall prepare a map of the boundary of 

11 the Park. 

12 (B) AVAILABILITY.—The Map shall be on 

13 file and available for public inspection in the 

14 appropriate offices of the National Park Serv15 ice. 

16 (c) ADMINISTRATION.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin18 ister land within the boundary of the Park in ac19 cordance with— 

20 (A) this section; and 

21 (B) the laws generally applicable to units 

22 of the National Park System, including— 

23 (i) sections 100101(a), 100751(a), 

24 100752, 100753, and 102101 of title 54, 

25 United States Code; and 


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1 (ii) chapters 1003 and 3201 of title 

2 54, United States Code. 

3 (2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—To further the pur5 poses of this section and notwithstanding chap6 ter 63 of title 31, United States Code, the Sec7 retary may enter into cooperative agreements 

8 with the State of Illinois, the city of Chicago, 

9 the State of Maryland, other appropriate State 

10 and local government officials, and public and 

11 nonpublic entities, subject to subparagraph 

12 (B)— 

13 (i) to support collaborative interpre14 tive and educational programs at non-Fed15 eral historic properties within the boundary 

16 of the Park; and 

17 (ii) to identify, interpret, and provide 

18 assistance for the preservation of non-Fed19 eral land within the boundary of the Park 

20 and at sites related to the Park but located 

21 outside the boundaries of the Park, includ22 ing providing for— 

23 (I) the placement of directional 

24 and interpretive signage; 

25 (II) exhibits; and 


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1 (III) technology-based and other 

2 interpretive devices. 

3 (B) PUBLIC ACCESS.—A cooperative agree4 ment entered into under this paragraph shall 

5 provide for reasonable public access to any 

6 property subject to the cooperative agreement. 

7 (3) USE OF FUNDS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use 

9 appropriated funds to carry out a project to 

10 mark, interpret, improve, restore, or provide 

11 technical assistance with respect to the preser12 vation and interpretation of any property that 

13 is subject to a cooperative agreement under 

14 paragraph (2). 

15 (B) INCONSISTENT PURPOSES.—Any pay16 ment made by the Secretary under this section 

17 shall be subject to an agreement that the con18 version, use, or disposal of a project carried out 

19 under subparagraph (A) for purposes that are 

20 inconsistent with the purposes of this section, 

21 as determined by the Secretary, shall result in 

22 a right of the United States to reimbursement 

23 in an amount that is the greater of— 

24 (i) the amount provided by the Sec25 retary to the project; and 


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1 (ii) an amount equal to the increase in 

2 the value of the project that is attributable 

3 to the funds, as determined by the Sec4 retary as of the date of the conversion, 

5 use, or disposal. 

6 (4) ACQUISITION OF LAND.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara8 graph (B), the Secretary may, within the Na9 tional Historic Landmark District in Chicago, 

10 Illinois— 

11 (i) acquire a facade or other easement 

12 interest on the Nichols Tower; and 

13 (ii) enter into a lease or other agree14 ment for purposes of providing for admin15 istration of the Park and appropriate vis16 itor services. 

17 (B) OUTSIDE OF PARK BOUNDARY.—If the 

18 Secretary is unable to identify appropriate 

19 space for administration and visitor services in 

20 accordance with subparagraph (A)(ii), the Sec21 retary may acquire the appropriate land or in22 terests in land, or enter into other appropriate 

23 agreements, in the vicinity of, but outside the 

24 boundary of the Park, for administration and 

25 visitor services. 


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1 (C) LIMITATION.—The San Domingo 

2 School in Sharptown, Maryland, may only be 

3 acquired by the Secretary under this section 

4 by— 

5 (i) donation; 

6 (ii) purchase with donated funds; or 

7 (iii) exchange. 

8 (5) INTERPRETATION.—To further the dissemi9 nation of information about the life and legacy of 

10 Julius Rosenwald, with an emphasis on the partner11 ship of Julius Rosenwald with Booker T. Wash12 ington and the approximately 5,000 communities in 

13 the South that led to the establishment and success 

14 of the Rosenwald Schools, the Secretary shall in15 clude interpretation of the story of Julius Rosenwald 

16 at— 

17 (A) the Lincoln Home National Historic 

18 Site in the State of Illinois, within the boundary 

19 of which is located the home of Julius Rosen20 wald; and 

21 (B) the Tuskegee Institute National His22 toric Site in the State of Alabama, which was 

23 founded by Booker T. Washington for the edu24 cation of African Americans and at which archi25 tects designed the early Rosenwald Schools. 


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1 (6) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 fis2 cal years after the date on which funds are first 

3 made available to carry out this section, the Sec4 retary shall complete a general management plan for 

5 the Park in accordance with— 

6 (A) section 100502 of title 54, United 

7 States Code; and 

8 (B) any other applicable laws. 

9 SEC. 5. ROSENWALD SCHOOLS NATIONAL NETWORK. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

11 (1) establish, within the National Park Service, 

12 a program to be known as the ‘‘Rosenwald Schools 

13 National Network’’; 

14 (2) as soon as practicable after the date of en15 actment of this Act, solicit proposals from sites, fa16 cilities, and programs interested in being a part of 

17 the Network; and 

18 (3) administer the Network. 

19 (b) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—In carrying out 

20 the Network, the Secretary shall— 

21 (1) review studies and reports to complement 

22 and not duplicate studies of the historical impor23 tance of the Rosenwald Schools; 

24 (2) produce and disseminate appropriate edu25 cational and promotional materials relating to the 


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1 life and work of Julius Rosenwald and the Rosen2 wald Schools that are part of the Network, such as 

3 handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic 

4 information; 

5 (3) enter into appropriate cooperative agree6 ments and memoranda of understanding to provide 

7 assistance, as appropriate; 

8 (4)(A) create and adopt an official, uniform 

9 symbol or device for the Network; and 

10 (B) issue regulations for the use of the symbol 

11 or device adopted under this paragraph; 

12 (5) conduct research relating to the Rosenwald 

13 Schools; 

14 (6) make recommendations for any additional 

15 Rosenwald School sites that should be considered for 

16 inclusion within the Park due to the significance, in17 tegrity, and need for management by the National 

18 Park Service of the sites; and 

19 (7) have the authority to provide grants to Net20 work elements described in subsection (c). 

21 (c) ELEMENTS.—The Network shall encompass the 

22 following elements: 

23 (1) All units and programs of the National 

24 Park Service that are determined by the Secretary 


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1 to relate to the story of Julius Rosenwald and the 

2 Rosenwald Schools. 

3 (2) Other Federal, State, local, and privately 

4 owned properties that the Secretary determines— 

5 (A) relate to Julius Rosenwald and the 

6 Rosenwald Schools; and 

7 (B) are included in, or determined by the 

8 Secretary to be eligible for inclusion in, the Na9 tional Register of Historic Places. 

10 (3) Other governmental and nongovernmental 

11 sites, facilities, and programs of an educational, re12 search, or interpretive nature that are directly re13 lated to Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald 

14 Schools. 

15 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND MEMORANDA

16 OF UNDERSTANDING.—To achieve the purposes of this 

17 section and to ensure effective coordination of the Federal 

18 and non-Federal elements of the Network and units and 

19 programs of the National Park Service, the Secretary may 

20 enter into cooperative agreements and memoranda of un21 derstanding with, and provide technical assistance to, the 

22 heads of other Federal agencies, States, units of local gov23 ernment, regional governmental bodies, and private enti24 ties. 

Æ 


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